A few hours later the plane was all boarded, baggage had been packed in cargo, and flying high in the sky over the white puffy clouds.

"It won't be so bad, Vicky," Edwin began at an attempt to reassure his elder sister. "How hard can school be there?"

Victoria sighed heavily, resting her head back on her head rest. "Easy for you to say. You'll be able to study your GCSEs with others your age, it won't be a change for you. For me, I've got quite a bit -"

"Don't be like that," Emmaline interjected to keep her daughter from saying anything. "You'll do just fine. I had been conversing with the sixth form you'll be attending and everything has been worked out to cater to your needs. You don't have to worry about anything but studying your GCSEs and other courses with others who have either failed or are like you."

"Briarwood has something like that? Isn't it like a small town or something?" Edwin quickly asked, his voice perky as he turned his attention towards his mother with bright eyes.

Emmaline slowly nodded while resting her elbow on the armrest. "It is, but they've been trying adapt their schools to cater to students like you in hopes to grow the population of the town. They've all be very nice and had been nothing more than helpful in hopes you'll adjust nicely to the curriculum."

"So that's why you made us do summer school last year. It wasn't for us to retain our knowledge but to prepare for the move here," Edwin recalled, tapping his chin with his finger as he furrowed his brows.

Emmaline nodded, pleased that Edwin was more accepting than Victoria was. "Yes and no. I didn't know I'd be marrying Liam then but in case I did, I wanted to prepare before hand so the transition wasn't as grueling as it would be."

"You could have told us," Victoria commented, a frown deep on her lips which seeped into her voice. "Then we would have had ample time to prepare, especially since I have no idea what I want to do for college!" She added, her tone growing a few octaves higher than she normally spoke.

Emmaline's expression turned cross, her frown deepened and her eyes narrowed. "Do not raise your voice at me young lady," She scolded her daughter through gritted teeth in a low voice. "It wasn't your decision whether I married him or not or we moved or not. It was mine." She spat, keeping her voice low not to draw attention to then.

Victoria slumped into her seat, her mother's words hitting her like darts on a dart board. Without saying another word, she pulled out her modern mini film camera from her purse and took a picture of the view. "Wow, look at those clouds," She marveled in pure amazement, trying to focus on something that brightened her mood. "Cassie would love these pictures for her wall . . ." Her voice trailed off as she took the Polaroid out after it had popped up and sighed.

She waited a few moments for the Polaroid to appear. When it did she felt her breath being taken away by the white puffy clouds floating along the horizon with the top half of the sun peeking up causing a halo effect on the picture.

Edwin pulled his eyes away from the book he was reading towards the window, past his sister, and out of the window. "Cassie does want to be a storm chaser." He mentioned, setting his book on the flip-down table in front of him.

Victoria reached into her backpack and took out a waterproof case. "We were going to be storm chasers together . . ." She sighed depressingly while opening a black case and setting the picture on top of others. "But that dream is now squashed."

Edwin frowned, glancing at his mom who was browsing a magazine she had brought. "Stop being so depressing," He whispered, after turning back to his sister. "You can still be a storm chaser."

Victoria sighed, twisting the strand of hair around her finger. "It's not the same. Yes, England has tornadoes, but it isn't the tornado capital of the world! It isn't tornado alley where all the good tornadoes happen all year, especially during the spring and summer months!" She insisted, letting out an exasperated groan.

Edwin squinted, unsure why his sister was so worked up over that. "Uh, I guess that's true," He commented, his tone just as unsure as his expression. "But I'm sure you can always be a weather anchor, that would be cool."

Victoria set her camera back into her backpack. "I can always move back to the States once I become an adult." She perked up a bit at the realization she was only two years away from becoming an adult.

Emmaline frowned, turning her head to her daughter after closing her book. "Do you really think I'd let you move back to the States once you're an adult? You're out of your mind, Victoria. You don't even have a job or money to move back. Do you have any plans?" She demanded, hurling questions at her daughter.

Victoria felt her cheeks grow hot and a lump caught in her throat. Her mother's tone said she meant business. "I don't at the moment but -" She began to explain only to be cut off by Emmaline.

"My point exactly," Emmaline snapped, a sense of triumph and pride laced her voice as she opened her book to the place she had put her bookmark. "I don't want to hear another word about it, got it?"

"Got it," Victoria quickly responded without hesitation. She turned her attention back out the window and her expression turned melancholy. 'Typical of Mom. Once I become an adult she can't tell me what to do . . . unless I'm still living under her roof then it's required.' She let out a heavy sigh at the mere thought.

Edwin shrugged his shoulders and turned to his mom. "So, is there anything you can tell us about the manor?" He inquired, a bright grin growing on his face in anticipation for her as were.

Emmaline looked up from her magazine, stopping midway from turning a page. "The manor began August 1, 1845, and ended about five years later on June 27, 1850. It was a heavy sum of money to build it, the exact amount I don't know, just it was, at the time, one of the most expensive builds." She replied, turning back to her magazine.

Edwin's eyes widened at the reply his mother had just told him. "No way? Really? The middle 1800s, now that is old!" He marveled, his eyes sparkling as he pondered those dates in his head.

Victoria looked away from the window towards her mother. "How do you know that?" She asked, her fingers tapping on the camera in her lap. "Did you look it up on the internet?"

Emmaline gave a smile and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "The deeds, actually." She reached down and pulled them out of her purse. "I've learned quite a great deal about the manor from them. Not as much as I liked, but it does have over 200 rooms, I think spanning just one wing and three floors excluding the attic." She held them out for one of her children to take.

Edwin looked at his mom with a slack jaw, blinking a few times. "How long have you had them?" He asked, taking the copy of the deeds in his hands, treating them like a fragile China doll.

Emmaline rested her arm on the armrest and rested her chin on her palm. "Liam gave me a copy of them at the wedding to look over. He just wanted me to know what I was getting myself into before I told you guys. Kind of him, isn't it?" She flashed a smile at the thought.

Edwin nodded rapidly, a toothy grin still evident on his face. "When did Liam's grandmother acquire the manor and how did he get his hands on the deeds?" He asked, leaning closer to his mother who was in the middle seat.

Emmaline turned her body towards Edwin and pointed to the deeds. "November 12, 1937." She confirmed the date. "Now, what we don't know is how she got her hands on it. Liam's mother only found it going through her late mother's belongings. It was left to her eldest grandchild: Liam."

"Wow!" Edwin's eyes followed his mother's finger to the deed and sure enough the dates matched up. "He's so blessed! To think it could have gone to one of Liam's siblings and us having missed out on this opportunity is crazy!"

Emmaline nodded, twisting her watch around her wrist. "He is. Unfortunately, we don't have any recent pictures of what it looks like so the condition will be a surprise for all of us." She added, giving her shoulders shrug.

"Yeah, it was like a water balloon being thrown right at us in the face," Victoria commented and made her hand come to her face, hovering for a moment before making a popping sound. "With icy Antarctic water."

Emmaline smiled, amused at her daughter's analogy. "It will be a nice surprise," She corrected, resting her hand on her lap. "Just think: you guys can freely roam the grounds without me worrying about being kidnapped because of the gate around the property."

Victoria gave her shoulders a slight shrug and turned to look back out the window. "Uh huh, sounds no different than roaming our backyard." She boredly mused, taking the neck pillow from around her neck and squeezing it in her arms.

"Victoria," Emmaline's voice turned stern as she spoke her daughter's name. Her eyes narrowed and her lips deepened into a frown. "I am tired of hearing you complain and be pessimistic. How are you showing you a Christian to others?" She asked rhetorically and added. "I don't want to hear another word from your mouth that is a complaint or pessimistic, got it?"

Victoria clenched her jaw. Anytime her mother shook her finger at her she couldn't help but grow annoyed. "Got it," She forced out, trying to sound as polite as she could muster so she wouldn't get into any more trouble with her tone or words.

Edwin ran a hand through his hair, bouncing his legs. "Can we put in a pool? I've always wanted an in-ground pool. We never got a chance to have a pool but for that short-lived above-ground pool that mysteriously popped one hot summer day." He rambled on, running a hand through his hair and messing it up.

Emmaline sniffled a laugh looking at her son. "You look like you stuck your finger in a light socket." She commented, noticing her son's hair was slightly spiky. "You don't need hair gel to achieve the early 90s gelled look." She joked with a soft laugh. "Reminds me of your father during high school."

Edwin rolled his eyes, trying to fix his hair the best he could without looking. "Haha, very funny," He dryly laughed, running his hand back through his hair to smooth it down. "You didn't answer! Can we have a pool?"

Emmaline sighed, shaking her head, and causing Edwin to frown. "Edwin, I don't think that's feasible with English weather, but the deed does say there is a nice-sized pond." She replied, her heart weighing heavy at the sight of her son pouting.

Edwin perked up at the latter of her sentence. "Ooh, a pond," He beamed brightly but then turned serious. "You don't think the current water has brain-eating bacteria, do you? It's probably been stagnant for quite some time." He inquired, his voice still oozing with excitement.

Victoria inwardly groaned, resting her head on the window. "Edwin," She mumbled, annoyance laced her voice at his excitement over some stagnant water.

"What? It's a reasonable question. Stagnant water breeds those types of things and I don't want to die because I took a swim in a pond. It's serious!" Edwin exclaimed, hearing a few hashing from fellow passengers. "Sorry," He sheepishly apologized, sinking into his seat.

"It probably is, considering it hasn't been cared for in quite some time. We will have professionals drain the pond, clean it, and set it up so it's swimmable." Emmaline replied, pleased to see one of her children was interested in the manor.

Edwin chuckled mechanically while a devious sparkle burst into his eyes. "I wonder if I can sample the pond water. My microscope has been rather lonely and I'm sure it would make for a good laptop wallpaper, which I've been meaning to change."

Emmaline raised her eyebrows at her son, sometimes he amused her, and other times he confused her. "I thought I told you to get rid of it before the move. You haven't used that thing in two years."

Edein's expression turned horrified, his eyes widened and his jaw went slack. "But Mom, how can I get rid of it? Dad gave it to me, it was his . . . yes I haven't used it in 2 years, but I hadn't had a reason to until now." He pouted, his shoulders slumping as his eyes swept the deeds.

Emmaline felt uncomfortable. Shifting in her seat, she let out a sigh while pitching the bridge of her nose. "I forgot your father gave it to you as a gift," She softly said, feeling bad about forcing him to get rid of something sentimental.

Edwin lightly grinned as he held up the copy of the deeds in front of him. "Oh, it borders an old graveyard and at the end of the property there's a train track?" He asked, looking at the map of the manor.

Emmaline nodded in confirmation with a smile. "Yes, according to what little Liam knows about it, the former owners of the manor created the graveyard for the town to use to bury their loved ones. At least, that's what those who asked about the manor would say." She informed, resting her arms on the armrest.

Victoria pulled her earbuds from her ears at the mention of a graveyard. "So, it's been abandoned all this time?" She asked softly, her voice cracking at the mere thought.

Emmaline pursed her lips and nodded her head. "I suppose so. Liam said they have a new one across town and no one has used that graveyard since the manor was abandoned. I guess it's been forgotten." She shrugged her shoulders casually.

Victoria slumped in her seat, a downcast expression on her face. 'Forgotten. I can't imagine how you can forget that people were buried there. People who had families and a life before it was cut short by the cold hand of death.' She thought to herself, nibbling on her thumbnail.

'I may not be happy about the move but I can at least clean up the graveyard. I packed up the cleaning kit for Dad's grave and I know how to clean up overgrowth. I can't allow the graveyard to be abandoned anymore. I'll find time to check it out and clean it.'

'Then maybe I can write down all the names, find information about them, and put it on a website. Then place a QR sticker on each grave so people can learn about the ones buried there. That's brilliant!' She perked up as her thoughts came together. 'But I'm still not happy I'm leaving Dad's grave behind . . .'

Edwin's eyes continued to sparkle every time his mother asserted his question about the manor. "Do you have any ideas on what you will turn the manor into after it's fixed up?" He asked, leaning over towards his mother.

Emmaline rested her elbow on the armrest and then rested her chin on the back of her hand. "Not sure. Liam and I haven't spoken about our plans for the manor after it's been restored. Our only priority is to restore the manor to its former glory with the exceptions of electricity and plumbing."

"But you still have ideas for it right? Right?" Edwin pressed further, hoping to gain more information from his mother who was 'mum's the word' about it. "Any chance you could tell me a few? I could give you some good ideas if you don't have any."

Emmaline cracked a smile, Edwin thought he was pretty persuasive with his charming smile displayed on his lips. "Well, it's clear we're not selling the manor, so, our current option is turning it into a hotel, an immersive experience of living like you in the Victorian era, with some minor exceptions." She replied, crossing her legs.

Edwin's eyes darted from his mother towards his sister. "Did ya hear that? A hotel! Just think of the cash we'd be rolling in, we could rent rooms out for top dollar! Do we, as helpers, get a cut of the moolah too? I mean, it's reasonable we do." He rambled on, his eyes flashing with dollar signs.

Victoria narrowed her eyes, a dumbfounded frown displayed on her face. "Oh brother," She huffed, putting her earbuds back in her ears and hitting the shuffle button on her playlist.

Emmaline chuckled, shaking her head whilst rolling her eyes. "As I said, we still don't know what to do. We're taking it one step at a time and our first priority is restoration." She emphasized to her son Liam and her only priority.

Edwin slumped his shoulders and frowned at his mother's emphasis. "Well, I guess that isn't so bad. One step at a time." He mumbled under his breath and leaned back in his seat. "So, you never did say: will we have lightning and plumping by the time we arrive?" He inquired, curiosity brimming in his voice.

Emmaline shrugged her shoulders. "Not sure. According to Liam's brother, it does have some old oil lamps that light up all the rooms and the halls. It has candle chandeliers in the foyer and the ballrooms, according to the deeds."

Edwin tried to picture what his mother had described. "Hmm," He hummed, closing his eyes to focus. 'Big, sparkling chandeliers sparkling like stars in the night sky. Oil lamps mounted on the walls probably have a little knot to turn it on and off, that was a thing right?' He asked himself, getting lost in his thoughts.

"Liam said he has had his brother oversee the installation of the plumbing for the past few weeks. Don't know how far he's gotten, Liam didn't say when I asked, but he's been busy with his job, preparing for the move and all that." Emmaline added, pushing her bangs out of her eyes and attempting to tuck them behind her ear, which they were too short to do.

Edwin took out his black digital camera and turned the lens towards his face. "I don't want to use an outhouse. I had enough of those at camp, it was awful and smelly." He made a funny face and snapped a picture of it.

Victoria glanced at her brother out of the corner of her eye. "What are you doing, Eddie?" She asked, slightly annoyed at the shutter tone of his camera which gained looks from those around.

Edwin looked up at her with a bright smile. "Taking pictures of myself as I make funny faces," He told her, showing her the very weird facial expressions captured on his camera. "I'm trying different filters and contrasts to see if I can find a new way to take pictures and show the guys back home. We have a contest going on with who can make the funniest face and I'm determined to win. Jeremy isn't going to win this time, oh no, it's my turn to be victorious." He placed his hand over his heart, determination in his voice.

Victoria rolled her eyes after she saw his pictures. "Dweeb." She mumbled, earning a look from her mom that caused her to recoil. "But I love you, you adorable dweeb." She added, forcing herself to play it off as something lighthearted whilst lightly punching his arm.

Edwin simply glanced from his arm to the first she had rested on her lap. "Uh huh," He shrugged it off and turned back to his camera. He hit the gallery button and scrolled through the pictures of him and his friends during school, church, and other functions.

'It's going to be a long flight.' Victoria thought to herself, putting her neck pillow back around her neck and closing her eyes. 'Hopefully, Edwin will be less annoying as time progresses and my music will drown him out.'

〰️🔘〰️🔘〰️🔘〰️🔘〰️🔘〰️🔘〰️🔘〰️

A/N:
Hi guys, sorry this rewrite took a little bit. I'm pretty happy with how things are going and I really want to focus this round on one thing that Victoria would put her heart and soul into which would cause her to grow to love the manor. Before, I didn't and that was a flaw I'm fixing this time around.

Chapter Talk:
Emmaline is a little bit like my mom, so that's the inspiration for her. This time I'm really integrating the whole animosity Victoria has towards her mother for getting remarried and feeling betrayed while Emmaline doesn't understand why she's upset.

Thanks for reading